New nanny for Prince George

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen a nanny trained at the prestigious Norland College to look after their son Prince George, Kensington Palace has announced.

William and Kate are said to be "happy and delighted" Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, originally from Spain, decided to join their royal household a few weeks ago.

Norland College has been producing nannies for the rich and famous since 1892 and its students are known for their distinctive uniforms and are schooled in all aspects of childcare during their three-year degree course and separate Norland diploma.

The Cambridges met Ms Turrion Borrallo before she was appointed and a Kensington Palace spokesman said the royal couple were "happy and delighted she's come on board".

Ms Turrion Borrallo is a full-time live in replacement for William's former nanny Jessie Webb, 71, who had looked after George as and when the couple needed her.

She will take care of the baby prince, who is almost eight months old and third in line to the throne, when he joins the Duke and Duchess on their tour of New Zealand and Australia next month.

Speaking about the official trip the spokesman added: "When they're out and about she will be looking after Prince George as she's been doing for the last couple of weeks."

Royal nannies have been important figures within palaces over the decades, caring for and shaping the emotional wellbeing of future kings and queens.

They often come recommended, having already worked for other members of the family, or they have close ties with family friends, but it is not known if Ms Turrion Borrallo was nominated by someone close to the couple.

In the past, nannies have become substitute mothers, often spending more time with royal children than their own parents, with their charges continuing to turn to them for support throughout their lives.

The Prince of Wales was particularly close to his nanny Mabel Anderson.

As a young child, he spent most of the day with his nannies Helen Lightbody and her deputy Mabel, usually seeing his mother for 30 minutes in the morning and then after tea before bed, according to his biographer Jonathan Dimbleby.

His father the Duke of Edinburgh, a naval officer, was also often at sea and in later years his parents were away on lengthy royal tours while he stayed with his grandparents.

Dimbleby wrote that separation, combined with his parents' emotional reserve, ensured that the ''bonds of affection'' between Charles and his nannies were ''at least as powerful... as those between the child and his parents''.

Mabel, who took charge of his care when Helen Lightbody left following a disagreement with the duke, was firm but kind and gentle and played a pivotal role in Charles's upbringing.

Even in adulthood the Prince turned to her for comfort and advice and paid for the decoration of her grace and favour apartment at Windsor when she retired.

William and Prince Harry still adore their former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, now Tiggy Pettifer.

They remain close and she was a guest at William and Kate's wedding, while her son Tom, William's godson, acted as a page boy.

It was Tiggy whom William asked to attend his Eton speech day rather than his warring parents and the attention they would bring.

She even once described William and Harry as ''my babies'' and later played a key role in helping them adjust after the death of their mother in 1997.

No nonsense but fun nanny Olga Powell, who came to work for the Waleses when William was six months old, was also a figure of stability for the Princes, staying to care for them for 15 years.

She was 52 at the time, in contrast to William's mother Diana who was just 21, and even after her retirement was invited to key milestones such as William's 21st celebrations at Windsor Castle, his passing out at Sandhurst and his wedding.

William missed a royal engagement to attend her funeral in October 2012.

A spokeswoman for Norland College said about Ms Turrion Borrallo: "We wish her all the best in her new post."

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